Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
The seed of inspiration had been growing very young inside of me. As soon as I could play with toys I was creating stories with them. Then, at age eight, I began to write stories for school and that is when I began writing stories for leisure. I have been discovering my style and growing in my structure ‘s format ever since. I was definitely that boy who was running off with his dog to run under a tree on a long summer’s afternoon.
I have always been intrigued by the mysteries of science as well and this often blanketed my intrigue into fictitious worlds. It is this thirst for the unknown that drives my writing, that makes me want to send the reader off to my many worlds to find unique, entrancing things.
I have written two published books with three more to come throughout the year.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is called Annihilation’s Resounding Anthem. This is Vol. 2 in the Distributed Fate series. By book two I have introduced many of the essential characters, though not all. At the end of the last story we had only been shown a glimpse of the varied universes and had just met our protagonist and antagonist. In our second book we start getting to know our characters and get a taste for the journey that they are on. The title for the book speaks of how the choices made in this book lead to the end all universes now fear.
This book, as I mentioned, really is about getting to know the characters that we will follow through this four book journey. The inspiration for Vol. 2 is an extension of Vol. 1 where we delved into a shared universe displayed through short stories. There is more variety in book two and we start showing that the main storyline will begin to show up more and more as we go along.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When it comes to planning out my stories I find that is where I am most unusual. I leave a certain degree up to the inspiration of the moment while the rest I plan down to exquisite detail. I find myself looking at each individual book as a pattern that needs to be maintained. When I aim to keep a particular rhythm going with a specified direction I find that I am keeping the correct shape of my pattern. So long as I keep to the pattern that feels right then I am pleased with how my work turns out. If I defer from the pattern it can get messy.
At the same time, I contradict this by allowing improvisation, but once again in specific places. The story needs to achieve certain aspects, the characters have to be somewhere by the end of this journey, but I can play with how they get there. It really is all about how each individual writer works to produce their own best work.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I find there was a particular series that inspired me and it was less about the content of that series and more the style in which it was told. The series the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander was a wonderful fantasy series for young adults. As a story, it had lovable characters with honor who fought the forces of darkness; what more could any reader want? What specifically inspired me here we less the story and more the excellent manner in which it was written. I remember how impressed I was that not a single page ever went by in that entire series of books where there was not something going on. Everything was described, but the author did not linger on endless detail and regardless of the pacing of the scene it was always interesting and entertaining.
To me, when a story can entertain you to such a degree that you do not even notice periods of lull or poorer storytelling, you know that it is quality writing. With my novels I aim to do the exact same. I want to keep every page interesting with a good rhythm. Short stories keep the flavor fresh and I aim to keep the stories providing an endless source of enjoyment, humor, and intrigue.
What are you working on now?
I am working on Vol. 3 of the Distributed Fate series at the moment. By the third book, the story has really developed and we get to see how crazy our story starts to really get. In Vol. 3, I get to showcase some of the coolest parts of this shared universe. I keep the variety coming, but I really show the reader more a sense of how everything is connected and what this universe can be capable of. No spoilers, but it is really getting good!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have been writing since I was a child, but marketing is a game that I am new to. As far as I can tell the best methods are giveaways and accessing your local market. If the population is decently sized in your area then you have a large area to market to in person. Remember your niches!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
First rule to any new experience; be humble. Humility is an efficient tool and it needs to be applied to writing like anything else. Assume that you will be in a fluctuating learning journey for a long time. Do your research for as long as you need to and get advice from those with experience wherever you can. They’ve already done it, you might as well listen and see what they have to say about how to avoid a lot of pitfalls along the way.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This applies to the field of marketing and publishing as well as even many courses in life; it is important to use your heart to guide your yearning and your head to ensure you actually get there. It always made perfect sense to me. Remember always what you want, but be realistic and hard working to get there.
What are you reading now?
At the moment I am in the midst of Robert J. Lawyer’s Quantum Night. I cannot say it’s his best work, but it’s intriguing and I do love the intellectual aspect of all his works. I love a book with a twist.
What’s next for you as a writer?
This is the beginning of my journey as a published author and this year I will be publishing four books alone. Look out for Vol. 3, and 4 for the crazy, wondrous things to come for this new shared universe!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Obviously anything I choose needs to have an ability to be reread many times over. For starters, I would choose the Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien as this is one of the most masterfully crafted books of all time. The writing is dense, yet beautiful and elegant. I find it was here that Tolkien truly showed his skill as a writer. There is nearly no writing I could imagine being as simply poetic as the Silmarillion.
Next, I would choose Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer. This was easily my favorite of his works, but he always impresses with his concepts regardless of which book. What I like in particular about this one was that it brought together many elements of fiction that I in particular enjoy; that being aliens, understanding the nature of our universe and even God. His concepts are always very big, but what I love most about his work is that he is also a scientist and so even outlandish ideas are grounded with relatable concepts and theories. It is easy to use big ideas, but I find he writes these ideas very intelligently and this is a rare find on the market.
Lastly, I might have to go with Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy. While I have not read Clancy in years, I find this is example of spy novel writing at its finest. It was written within the last twenty years, but it’s a prequel with his famous Jack Ryan character. Mostly, I enjoy how two sides are displayed as the same merely with cultural differences and what exactly the inner workings of spy agencies in the 1980s were like. Overall, on the backdrop of an attempted assassination of the pope, this book does well to keep a steady pace and make you wonder how things will actually work out.
Author Websites and Profiles
Benjamin Knoll Website
Benjamin Knoll Amazon Profile